NEWS

A 2006 Heroes in the Struggle

By Erv Dyer

[Editor's Note: Tony Wafford will be honored at the Black AIDS Institute's sixth annual Gala Reception, silent auction and awards presentation, Heroes In The Struggle, Thursday, Nov. 16, 2006 at the Directors Guild of America, Los Angeles. To buy tickets or get more information, call 213-353-3610 or click here.]

In 1998, after learning that more than half of the new HIV cases among women in Los Angeles County strike African Americans, Tony Wafford got into the prevention business.

Suddenly, Wafford says, it dawned on him that the face of the virus could be the face of his 22-year-old daughter.

"A light went on over my head," he says. "I love my daughter more than I love oxygen. That's when I started getting involved."

For years, he worked the streets, handing out free condoms and advice. In 2004, he convened the first-ever national African-American summit on AIDS. Today, Wafford is community advisory board chair for the HIV Prevention Trials Network in Los Angeles and is bringing HIV/AIDS out into the open and getting much needed information out into the community.

It’s a long way from Detroit.

When Wafford left the Motor City 30 years ago for Los Angeles, he was young, broke, alone and lacked formal education. His diminished resources, however, were coupled with a larger-than-life desire to realize his dreams. His second day in town, he landed a job at Damon Construction, where he would eventually work up to field supervisor.

Soon after coming to Los Angeles, Wafford became involved with his church, the local NAACP and Rev. Jesse Jackson’s 1988 presidential campaign.

His volunteer ventures brought him to the door of Congresswoman Maxine Waters, where for the past seven years, he’s helped her coordinate the annual Congressional Black Caucus’ "Young, Gifted and Black" conference. Participants have included Russell Simmons, Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Chris Tucker and Robert Townsend.

A few years later, Wafford’s entertainment involvement put him in contact with Terrie Williams, a New York-based public relations guru. With Williams, Wafford worked with Eddie Murphy, Miles Davis, Anita Baker, Avery Brooks and more celebrities.

After a number of years, he set up his own freelance public relations firm, Wafford Consulting in Los Angeles in 1985. Still, the busy executive continued to volunteer.

The latest statistics on HIV haunted him: HIV/AIDS was quickly becoming the leading killer of black people ages 22-45. In 1985, fewer than 5,000 African Americans were infected. By 1994, more than 30,000 had died from AIDS related illnesses. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says African Americans made up nearly 50 percent of all new HIV infections in 2005.

Wafford, who wanted to slow the crisis, met with the Community Advisory Board (CAB) on HIV/AIDS. In 2000, Wafford became chair of America’s Working Group for HIV Prevention Network, heading initiatives that provide education, testing and counseling.

One of his first projects was "Takin' It to the Street," a grassroots program to distribute condoms and information about HIV to barber shops, beauty salons and shoe repair shops.

In July 2002, Wafford addressed the International AIDS Conference in Barcelona, Spain.

Another successful campaign is "Fighting HIV Through R&B."

Enlisting his contacts in the entertainment world, Wafford persuaded Al Haymon, a prominent African-American concert promoter who handles acts like Luther Vandross, Usher, Patti LaBelle and Destiny's Child, to offer tickets to his shows as incentive for HIV/AIDS testing. Agouron Pharmaceuticals was a partner and provided HIV testing materials. This effort resulted in testing and educating more than 20,000 African Americans in more than 24 states and 66 cities throughout the country.